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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
When I finished reading The Ravens, I found myself wondering how this story could continue and where it would go from there so I put off finishing the duology mostly because I really enjoyed book one and didn’t want to be disappointed. As it turns out, that would a stupid decision because I liked The Monarchs even more. It’s a worthy conclusion to a fantastic duology.
As with the first book, the writing was great. I always worry when I see two author’s names on a book because, often, the writing can feel disjointed which then leads to a strange pacing and an overall messy finished product. These two authors, on the other hand, blend together seamlessly and manage to give both protagonists a unique voice while maintaining a cohesive style and flow. If I had read these books not knowing who wrote them, I would never have guessed there were two of them.
The characters became even more vibrant and rich in this book, with both Vivi and Scarlet desperate to prove themselves in different ways. Their stories almost mirror each other which I thought was nice considering they’ve always had a special connection. I also liked how they were so desperate to show everyone that the coven was fine and stronger than ever after the events of book one that it took them far too long to acknowledge that there was more danger afoot. Their own single-mindedness led to their downfall. The steps that Vivi takes in this book were particularly interesting for me and I feel like she went on the biggest journey throughout the two stories. From not even believing that magic was real to doing almost anything to feel the strength of that very power could have felt like a big leap but it didn’t. It was expertly planned and executed and my only critique is that she comes back down from that latter position a touch too quickly for me. But the heart of this book is the relationship between Vivi and Scarlet and, quite honestly, I would love to read a novella about them going on a road trip or something because I love them both so much.
I won’t go too much into detail about the plot as it's a sequel but I will say that the stakes definitely felt higher here and the tension was impeccable. There were so many times when I genuinely believed that The Ravens might lose because they were in such dire straits.
The heart of these books are the characters and the themes of sisterhood and female-friendships which I don’t feel like we get enough of. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire duology but The Monarchs particularly stood out to me so if you’ve read The Ravens and aren’t sure if you should continue, I would definitely recommend it. And if you haven’t read The Ravens yet? Why not?! You won't be disappointed.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you so much for an advanced copy of The Monarchs. I really appreciate it!
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Pub Date: January 11, 2022
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this book! I usually love books about witches, and The Monarchs was the perfect conclusion to The Ravens. I thought this book was engaging, interesting, and fast-paced. I enjoyed the plot a lot, and a lot of my questions from the first book were answered in this one. I also really enjoyed the characters. I am a very character driven reader, and I really liked these characters.
I also really liked the continuity from the first book to the second. The plot picks right up where the Ravens left off, and that made the story really easy to follow. Overall, I would highly recommend this duology to a fantasy lover, especially if they want a duology they could finish quickly.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Pub Date: January 11, 2022
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this book! I usually love books about witches, and The Monarchs was the perfect conclusion to The Ravens. I thought this book was engaging, interesting, and fast-paced. I enjoyed the plot a lot, and a lot of my questions from the first book were answered in this one. I also really enjoyed the characters. I am a very character driven reader, and I really liked these characters.
I also really liked the continuity from the first book to the second. The plot picks right up where the Ravens left off, and that made the story really easy to follow. Overall, I would highly recommend this duology to a fantasy lover, especially if they want a duology they could finish quickly.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Author: Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book (ARC)
Published: 11th January 2022
Pages: 434
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis
In this thrilling conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige’s The Ravens, the sorority witches are tested when a rival threatens to usurp their place on campus and the forces of hell come knocking on their door.
The sorority girls at Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches.
Scarlett Winter, a legacy Raven, has finally gotten what she’s always wanted: the Kappa Rho Nu presidency. After the disaster that killed the sorority’s last president, Scarlett is determined that no sister will fall under the sway of wicked magic ever again. But the powers of the presidency have their own pitfalls—and Scarlett has big shoes to fill.
Vivi Devereaux, a freshman, finally knows what it feels like to belong. For the first time ever, she’s got it all: her Kappa Rho Nu sisters and a sweet (and hot) boyfriend. When Scarlett assigns Vivi the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to live up to her Big’s expectations—even if that means dabbling in a new form of magic.
Unbeknownst to the Ravens, new rivals and ancient evils lurk on Westerly’s campus. With Kappa Rho Nu’s future on their shoulders and their pasts still haunting them, will Scarlett and Vivi be able to save their sisterhood once again?
Review
Trigger Warnings: Blood and Death.
This review may contain spoilers.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy.
The Monarchs is the second and final book in The Ravens duology, I read the first book back in December 2020 and I loved it, it was such a fun read with great twists. I was quite curious about what was going to happen in this as the events of the first book were pretty much wrapped up at the end. While I found this to be a quick read and it had a great twist, I have to say that I enjoyed the first book more. My main problem was that I was quite often frustrated with one of the main characters, Vivi. I thought she acted quite out of character a few times and made some frustrating decisions. One aspect of this that I enjoyed was the plot twist of Tim being the demon, I honestly didn’t expect that, and I was intrigued to learn more about his character before the reveal.
Overall, this was a decent YA Fantasy novel with a great twist however I found myself quite frustrated with one of the main characters.
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book (ARC)
Published: 11th January 2022
Pages: 434
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis
In this thrilling conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige’s The Ravens, the sorority witches are tested when a rival threatens to usurp their place on campus and the forces of hell come knocking on their door.
The sorority girls at Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches.
Scarlett Winter, a legacy Raven, has finally gotten what she’s always wanted: the Kappa Rho Nu presidency. After the disaster that killed the sorority’s last president, Scarlett is determined that no sister will fall under the sway of wicked magic ever again. But the powers of the presidency have their own pitfalls—and Scarlett has big shoes to fill.
Vivi Devereaux, a freshman, finally knows what it feels like to belong. For the first time ever, she’s got it all: her Kappa Rho Nu sisters and a sweet (and hot) boyfriend. When Scarlett assigns Vivi the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to live up to her Big’s expectations—even if that means dabbling in a new form of magic.
Unbeknownst to the Ravens, new rivals and ancient evils lurk on Westerly’s campus. With Kappa Rho Nu’s future on their shoulders and their pasts still haunting them, will Scarlett and Vivi be able to save their sisterhood once again?
Review
Trigger Warnings: Blood and Death.
This review may contain spoilers.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy.
The Monarchs is the second and final book in The Ravens duology, I read the first book back in December 2020 and I loved it, it was such a fun read with great twists. I was quite curious about what was going to happen in this as the events of the first book were pretty much wrapped up at the end. While I found this to be a quick read and it had a great twist, I have to say that I enjoyed the first book more. My main problem was that I was quite often frustrated with one of the main characters, Vivi. I thought she acted quite out of character a few times and made some frustrating decisions. One aspect of this that I enjoyed was the plot twist of Tim being the demon, I honestly didn’t expect that, and I was intrigued to learn more about his character before the reveal.
Overall, this was a decent YA Fantasy novel with a great twist however I found myself quite frustrated with one of the main characters.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes